On the Ground at CPAC 2015: a Gonzo Chronicle

The snow falls on this Thursday morning in Maryland. Indeed, it is still the winter of our progressive discontent. As we gather for CPAC 2015 the headlines are dominated by net neutrality, the latest encroachment by the federal government. Every passing day something new crops up, and it’s only getting faster. The question is, what are we going to do about it? Will this be a turning point, or a feel-good fest? Can it be both?

The opening speech by Dr. Ben Carson gives a startling litmus test to where we are currently. If you stand with what this nation truly represents, you are an extremist.

CPAC is always a breath of fresh air. You see a lot of youth here, a lot of students. The trick is making it more than a pep talk.

Dr. Carson’s speech and brief Q and A held a glimpse of a potential platform. Nothing solid, but a policy philosophy. An affirmation of his support form the second amendment (a topic where quotes of the past have caused him a bit of grief), a take no prisoners attitude towards radical Islam, support of education at the lowest level possible, and bringing an end to the dependency culture.

Oh, and Senator Mike Lee is not running for president.

What’s going to happen when the RINOs take the stage? Many speakers here are 2016 presidential potentials? Will we see plans, or platitudes? We here at WAAR and NewsNinja are here on the ground and we’ll keep you posted.

Chris Christie stepped onto the stage at 1:00 pm. As opposed to a speech he opted for a one on one with Laura Ingraham. She hit the ground running with asking him about Common Core. He’s not a political dummy, he knows that is a major issue with conservatives. His response expressed a certain amount of regret… that it reflected poorly on him. Then called it a state issue. He proceeded to tout his pro-life record and declared he is unapologetic for his media outbursts. That much, at least, is refreshing. Laura didn’t shy away from the tough issues those with the RINO tag have to contend with and followed up with an immigration question, using statements from Jeb Bush to (maybe) give Christie an opportunity to contrast himself from him. His response was sympathetic to “people who are already here”. She then asked him to respond to his tepid poll numbers for a ’16 primary.

Quite true. Whether or not she will prove in the long run to be a viable candidate, she has definitely the fiery and raucous speech so far, and hit on almost every red meat topic. Looking forward to seeing where Carly Florida goes from here.

As for Ted Cruz’s speech, you should just go watch it yourself. He threw it down and dropped the mic afterwards.

As a change of pace, the artist Sabo took the stage. He clearly wasn’t in his stride, not that this is his natural element. In a room of suits and ties here is the foul-mouthed, antagonistic street artist from L.A. But he’s fantastic. A laser beam of 1960’s counter-culture directed right back at the left’s ivory tower.

No, I wasn’t there for Scott Walker’s, Bobby Jindal’s, or Sarah Palin’s speeches. Instead I broke off to check out Michelle Malkin’s new film, Rocky Mountain Heist. Check it out, ASAP. It bears important lessons for liberty-minded individuals for what to expect in electoral battles in the future. See it.

It’s now Friday morning. The snow is gone. Spirits are a little higher, having been pumped up by a day’s worth of liberty kinship. Picking back up with Senator Marco Rubio. In all h0nesty, he’s given the most informative, least platitude-laden speech thus far.

Next up was Rick Perry. It was a touch awkward at first. He started off on foreign policy, particularly ISIS. No doubt lefties will call him a warmonger, but he was not exactly inaccurate in claiming we are at war whether we want to be or not. He did shift gears and got some good sound bites in, hefting his stance on the border catastrophe last year.

There are good ideas, good signs, and good feelings. But will it be enough? The dangers have grown beyond ideological dialogue. Even though their hair is down at CPAC, no one beyond pundits are willing to address who we are really facing. That unmitigated hate of the left that is unwilling to tolerate us anymore. There have been many quips about Obama and his cabinet’s weak stance on ISIS, but no utterance as to the fact that they envy ISIS’s supreme authority in the area they control.

Winning elections will be irrelevant when faceless, unelected administrators actually do all the law making and enforcement. We’ve regressed as a nation. People on stage have to devote time to supporting basic tenets of the Bill of Rights. Because our enemies despise them for allowing us to exist.